AWARE NI, the depression charity for Northern Ireland, has announced the return of its mental health poetry competition for P6 and P7 pupils – Express Yourself.
The initiative invites primary schools across Northern Ireland to participate, encouraging children to express their emotions through poetry. Express Yourself helps pupils build resilience, understand mental health, and develop valuable tools to navigate life’s challenges.
The competition is supported by Isla McManus, an 11-year-old singer who is making her mark in Ireland’s music industry. With over 65,000 followers and more than 1.1 million likes on TikTok, Isla is known for her impressive vocals and has become a role model for many young people.
“Being part of the Express Yourself campaign is really important to me,” said Isla McManus. “I want to encourage kids to understand that it’s okay to talk about their feelings, and that expressing ourselves is a powerful way to feel better. I’m so proud to support a project that helps children do that.”
Karen Collins, CEO of AWARE NI, said: “As an organisation that believes in the early intervention model, the Express Yourself competition is one of our favourite campaigns to run here at AWARE NI. Seeing the impact it has had in previous years with schools, empowering young children to talk about their worries and their fears and to open up to people they trust, has been truly inspiring. Their poems have been beautiful and have inspired us as adults over the past few years. We cannot wait to read the poems from the students this year, and we would encourage all schools to sign up to this powerful and impactful campaign!”
The previous campaign saw over 200 schools participating and helping to normalise mental health conversations among a huge number of children.
The Express Yourself competition provides participating schools with a free downloadable poetry pack, filled with interactive activities that focus on mental health, self-expression, and understanding our feelings, worries and fears. These resources encourage children to connect with others, be active, notice the world around them, learn, reflect and focus on the things in life that brings them joy.
The top ten poems will be published in a beautifully illustrated book, written for kids by kids, which will be distributed to schools and libraries across Northern Ireland. This book will help younger children realise they are not alone in their thoughts and feelings, sparking important mental health conversations and giving this campaign legacy.
In addition to being published, the winning school will also receive a 6-week mindfulness programme, further supporting students in developing emotional resilience. As an extra special prize, Isla McManus will visit the winning school to perform and engage with students, bringing her inspiring presence to the children who have shown outstanding creativity and mental health awareness. The top three winners will also receive Amazon book vouchers, empowering them to further their learning and growth.
To register your school for the competition or to learn more, visit www.aware-ni.org/express-yourself
